


Network

by diemarysues



Series: flip-flops and flick knives [1]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, FemBagginshield Week 2013, Female Bilbo, Female Thorin, Fluff, Rule 63
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-27
Updated: 2013-05-27
Packaged: 2017-12-13 03:18:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/819343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diemarysues/pseuds/diemarysues
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bilbo and Thorin meet online, and now finally meet face-to-face.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Network

**Author's Note:**

> For FemBagginshield Week 2013, which is going on right now on tumblr. [[link](http://fembagginshield.tumblr.com/)]

Bilbo bit her lips as she stood in line. 

 

She was extremely nervous, and considering the fact that she’d just gone through her very first aeroplane ride, that was saying something. That had been truly nerve-wracking for all that it was a routine flight, and she was sure that a few of her fellow passengers had laughed at her white knuckled grip on the handrests during takeoff and touchdown.

 

Still. She was grateful to be on solid ground again. Though the fact that this solid ground was in fact _Erebor_ made her brain short circuit a bit.

 

To think that she, Bilbo Baggins, who’d never stepped a foot out of Hobbiton (much less the Shire), was now miles and miles away from her home. If only her mother could see her now.

 

Bilbo twisted a bit of her skirt between her fingers. Now, now wasn’t the time to think about her parents, either of them. This was a happy occasion, and they’d be happy for her. They’d be happy that she was finally meeting Thorin.

 

Thinking about her girlfriend made Bilbo’s knees wobble a little. She almost fell over as she stepped forward and tried to nudge her bag at the same time.

 

Gosh, had it really been three years since they’d met each other on the Internet?

 

She could still remember it. She’d turned to blogging in uni under the pseudonym _bb-of-bag-end_ , when the stress and the loneliness had got to her enough that she’d needed an outlet before she went mad. (Well, mad _der_ , some would say.) And so, ignoring dire warnings about paedophiles and murderers, Bilbo settled herself in and… actually had a pretty good time of it. She made friends, discussed interests, learned new things, and felt less and less like smashing peoples’ faces into walls when they shot her pitying looks.

 

Who knew that caps-lock was such a good vent?

 

She and Thorin ( _oakenshield_ ) had ‘met’ via their mutual friend _gthegrey_ , who’d recommended her blog to Thorin. At first their conversation had been stilted, at best. There were several times in which Bilbo had had to sit back from the laptop and wonder if Thorin was _trying_ to be stupid and petty and confrontational. (So what if Bilbo _needed_ to carry handkerchiefs? She had allergies! Tissues were inconvenient!)

 

But things had changed. Against all odds, they’d become friends. Exchanged Skype details and phone numbers, addresses and letters. Endless conversations long into the mornings – well, for either one of them, considering the time difference. They still bickered, of course – both too headstrong for their own good – and then suddenly…

 

Suddenly they were dating. Bilbo still wasn’t quite sure how that happened.

 

She actually had never considered herself capable of maintaining a long-distance relationship – or even capable of agreeing to be in one. There was something about Thorin, though, that made Bilbo want to throw everything to the wind.

 

Looking back on it, it was a bit odd. To feel butterflies in her tummy every time Thorin logged in, to smile like an idiot whenever she received an email from the other woman, to have her chest ache keenly each time her girlfriend slipped off to sleep in the middle of a video-chat. That was stuff of books and movies, surely.

 

“Next.”

 

Bilbo started a little and hurried forward, holding out her passport and documents. She half smiled when the airport worker glanced at the photo and then at her face.

 

“Could you remove your hat, please?” he asked curtly.

 

“Oh!” Bilbo snatched it off, and then nervously flattened her hair. As information was tapped into the man’s computer, she glanced about. Her fingers itched; she wanted to put her woollen hat back onto her head. It’d been a gift from her father, and had always made her feel safe.

 

Being in such a new place, she rather needed the extra help.

 

The man nodded at her. “Welcome to Erebor, ma’am.”

 

Well! She certainly wasn’t a _ma’am_. But Bilbo smiled and nodded all the same, and stumbled only a little as she made her way along. One step closer to Thorin.

 

Oh gracious.

 

She stood off to the side when she belatedly remembered to pull out her phone. She’d promised to message her grandmother as soon as she’d reached – Granny Took was notoriously tech-savvy, which was wrong on so many levels – and decided to send another text seeing as she’d gotten her phone out already.

 

_Just got past immigration. Almost there!_

 

The reply was almost instantaneous and made Bilbo snort.

 

_hurry up. –t_

Problem was, even if Bilbo had had longer legs, getting to the arrivals hall quickly would have been an impossibility without running. (And seeing as she neither had long legs nor liked running, the point was rather moot.)

 

Still, after having gone through immigration, all the while dragging her too-heavy bag, what was a little more distance? Her heart skipped a little as she passed the cab-and-car-rental service desk, and walked past the lines of people waiting with name cards and banners and things.

 

Thorin was not one of these people. But they’d decided they’d find a quieter place to meet once Bilbo spotted Thorin. Which was… easier said than done, when you were five-three.

 

Bilbo dropped back onto her heels, pouting. Everyone was too tall!

 

They’d agreed beforehand that Bilbo would look for Thorin, instead of the other way around. There had been too many experiences in Thorin’s past of her getting absurdly lost, and neither of them had wanted that to sully their first face-to-face meeting. (Even if that decision had made Thorin surly for the rest of their Skype call, no matter the amount of cajoling on Bilbo’s end.)

 

At this rate, though, Bilbo would never find her. And… a part of her was glad. Though she’d never say as much to Thorin (Bilbo wasn’t didn’t relish getting yelled at, and Thorin was notoriously fond of not caring about phone bills if she had the chance to shout at someone), she was more than a little terrified that their meeting face-to-face would shatter all the illusions Thorin had about her.

 

Because they probably _were_ illusions; Bilbo was afraid that Thorin would take a look at her in all her frumpy glory and decide that their relationship wasn’t worth bothering with.

 

And maybe that was unfair of her, to doubt Thorin so, but everyone had self-esteem problems. Especially short bookworm orphans.

 

She had to scurry out of the way of a harried-looking business couple. Honestly. Did no one care about manners?

 

Bilbo cast one more glare at them over her shoulder – not that they noticed, the bastards – and turned back so she wouldn’t knock into anyone or get knocked into. Only, wasn’t that –

 

Oh gods. There she was. Bilbo was suddenly utterly terrified. Oh no, oh no, oh no –

 

Thorin turned and unerringly met her gaze – her eyes had hardly widened before Bilbo was all but sprinting towards her, bag now light as a feather as she flung it by Thorin’s feet and flung herself into her girlfriend’s arms.

 

Finally. Oh, _finally_.

 

Thorin’s grip on her was strong and tight but all Bilbo wanted to do was press even closer into that warm body. Her legs were wrapped around Thorin’s waist with her arms around Thorin’s neck, hands buried in thick dark hair.

 

“You’re here.” Thorin’s voice sounded richer in person, more powerful. It certainly sent tingles down Bilbo’s back. “You’re _here_.”

 

“I am.” There were tears prickling at her eyes but she ignored them. Bilbo reluctantly drew back a little as she felt Thorin do the same.

 

One arm remained secure around Bilbo’s waist, and with the other hand Thorin drew a thumb down her blunt nose, making her wrinkle it. “You have no idea how much I’ve wanted this.”

She snorted. “I might. Just a little. Tiny bit.”

 

Thorin’s lips quirked – her thin, pale lips that now had all of Bilbo’s attention. She didn’t think about how long she’d wanted to kiss them. All that mattered was that she _could_ do so now, and did.

 

She savoured Thorin’s sound of surprise and the blossoming taste of her girlfriend on her tongue. She ignored the tears splashing down her cheeks because she was _here_ and Thorin was _here_ and they were together and in each other’s arms and that was all that could ever matter.

 

When they separated – not that Bilbo _wanted_ to, mind you – Thorin set her down gently on her feet. The height difference really was apparent; Bilbo had to tiptoe to push Thorin’s hair behind her ear.

 

“Flight alright?” Thorin asked, catching Bilbo’s hand and pressing a kiss to the fingertips.

 

She flushed pink. “Not bad, considering it was my first.” She carefully omitted the fact that she’d pre-emptively placed the sick-bag in her lap. “And well worth this, I think.”

 

“I agree.” Her gaze downturned. “Bilbo, I – I should have gone to you, sooner, but –”

 

“Oh, shut up,” Bilbo snapped. This was an old argument. “This was the easiest way in the end. We may have had choices and opportunities pass us by, but that’s how it went. What’s important is that I am here now. With you.” She prodded Thorin in the chest to emphasize this point.

 

Thorin smiled, properly, and Bilbo’s breath caught. “Yes. And I intend to keep you here for a long time.”

 

She’d have to thank Gandalf when they got home and she connected to Thorin’s wi-fi. But that’d come later. Bilbo’s face almost split in two with her wide grin, which only grew wider as Thorin leaned down towards her again.

 

Much later.

**Author's Note:**

> This was... painful to write, even if it's fluff. Unbetaed.


End file.
